"Riot
and Revelry in Early America marks a new level of maturity in
our understanding of the popular cultures of early America. The essays
clearly demonstrate that early America was an integral part of a broader
transatlantic tradition of popular disturbance and celebration. In
no small way because of the strength of these essays, after long years
in the wings America can now assume its rightful place in the history
of transatlantic popular culture." -Ronald Schultz, University of
Wyoming
Riot and revelry have been mainstays of English and European history
writing for more than a generation, but they have had a more checkered
influence on American scholarship. Despite considerable attention
from "new left" historians during the 1970s and early 1980s, and
more recently from cultural and "public sphere" historians in the
mid-1990s, the idea of America as a colony and nation deeply infused
with a culture of public performance has not been widely demonstrated
the way it has been in Britain, France, and Italy. In this important
volume, leading American historians demonstrate that early America
was in fact an integral part of a broader transatlantic tradition
of popular disturbance and celebration.
The first half of the collection focuses on "rough music" and "skimmington"—forms
of protest whereby communities publicly regulated the moral order.
The second half considers the use of parades and public celebrations
to create national unity and overcome divisions in the young republic.
Contributors include Roger D. Abrahams, Susan Branson, Thomas J.
Humphrey, Susan E. Klepp, Brendan McConville, William D. Piersen,
Steven J. Stewart, and Len Travers. Together the essays in this
volume offer the best introduction to the full range of protest
and celebration in America from the Revolution to the Civil War.
